Police beat

Westerville: Attorney: Heroin-addicted client burglarized house

An attorney reported to Westerville police that he suspects a former client has burglarized his house on Hillcrest Drive on multiple occasions.

The homeowner told police that he had represented the 25-year-old woman, and has "attempted to help her on several occasions," with a heroin addiction.

When the woman overdosed on heroin in May, the man allowed her to stay at his residence. He told police that a short time later she admitted to using heroin again, and he asked her to leave.

On multiple occasions throughout June, the man saw signs of a burglary at his house, but did not report them to police.

After hearing from his bank that someone matching the woman's description was trying to use his checks, the man contacted Westerville police.

Officers found that the woman had made 24 transactions at local pawn shops over a two-week period, and many of the sold items matched items taken from the man's home.

Charges have not yet been filed, police reports said.

In other recent incident reports from the Westerville Division of Police:

* During the night of June 21, a house in the 100 block of Ormsbee Avenue was burglarized.

About $1,550 in cash, car keys and a wallet containing the homeowner's bank cards and Social Security card were stolen from a nightstand. Shortly after, a card was used multiple times at a gas station on Cleveland Avenue.

Because the homeowners initially thought the items were misplaced, not stolen, police said they could not properly assess the scene.

Police are working with the gas station to obtain video of the the people who used the stolen card.

* A church office in the 800 block of Eastwind Drive was burglarized sometime overnight June 26-27.

An employee arrived at work and noticed that several cabinets and drawers were open. When she realized that the back door also was open and had pry marks on it, she contacted police.

About $200 in checks, $5 in cash and a bank card were stolen from a drawer, and filing cabinet drawers were damaged when pried open.